To access the beach you can park your vehicle at the end of Medford Beach Road, then walk down Old Crick Lane where there is a public access path straight down Old Crick Lane between the cottages right along the chain link fence. It takes about 45 minutes to one hour to walk the beach from Medford Beach Road to Kingsport where you can buy some refreshment or ice cream at the seasonally operated seaside burger joint.

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To access the beach you can park your vehicle at the end of Medford Beach Road, then walk down Old Crick Lane where there is a public access path straight down Old Crick Lane between the cottages right along the chain link fence. It takes from fourty five minutes to one hour to walk the beach from Medford Beach Road to Kingsport where you can buy some refreshment or ice cream at the seasonally operated seaside burger joint.

You can also park your vehicle at the wharf in Kingsport, walk to the beach and head North.

You can also park your vehicle at the wharf in Kingsport, walk to the beach and head North.

Revision as of 14:46, 6 February 2013

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Contents

Where

Medford is a seaside farming community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Kings County. It lies north of Kingsport, Nova Scotia on the Minas Basin in the upper Bay of Fundy.

This area is an important feeding ground for millions of shorebird who come to this area from mid july to mid August.

Farming is an important revenue for the community. Grapes for the local vineyards, various fruit tree productions, corn, wheat, soy, potatoes, broccoli, blueberries are some of the crops cultivated in Medford. Poultry, dairy, and beef are also prominent in this region.

Safety

Medford is one of the best place to see the Fundy tides, which are the highest tides in the world, up to sixteen metres (fifty two feet) and it's effect on the landscape. High tide and low tide are reached twice each in a period of approximately twenty five hours, with the time between the extremes being about six hours and thirteen minutes. The water is constantly in motion, with tides rising and falling as much as two to three metres (six or eight feet) per hour! So before you head out to the beach, ensure you know when the next high tide is coming as you may put yourself in danger of being stuck against high cliffs and the upcoming tide. This is the tide clock closest to Medford: [1]

Get In

To access the beach you can park your vehicle at the end of Medford Beach Road, then walk down Old Crick Lane where there is a public access path straight down Old Crick Lane between the cottages right along the chain link fence. It takes from fourty five minutes to one hour to walk the beach from Medford Beach Road to Kingsport where you can buy some refreshment or ice cream at the seasonally operated seaside burger joint.

You can also park your vehicle at the wharf in Kingsport, walk to the beach and head North.

Do

At low tide take a walk along the ocean floor on the 8 km (5 miles) long red sand beach and the mud flats along the Minas Basin. The rock formations are red in colour and composed of easily eroded sandstones and sandy shale. Those rocks are carved by the highest tides in the world and there are some small caves you can safely explore. The beach is clean, secluded, locals are very friendly and welcoming. Beware of a few muddy areas close to the creek, but children usually love playing in them! At low tide, walking from the shore to the water can take up to half an hour and in some areas even longer!

There is a tidal creek on Medford Beach too. At low tide, on the south side of the creek, you can still see the remnant of the wreck site of the schooner Hattie Mc Kay. Hattie Mc Kay has the distinction of being the first registered shipwreck in Kings County. Early on, the wreck could be seen on the beach for a years, then the schooner disappeared and for decades "nothing could be seen of her." In 1997 the tides and shifting sands of Minas Basin uncovered what remained of the Hattie McKay.

Built in Parrsboro in 1896 for Captain James H. Card, the Hattie McKay was registered as a 74 ton, two-masted schooner with a 10 h.p. auxiliary gas engine. There was little that was romantic about her. While her sister ships of sail were trading in far off, exotic ports, the Hattie McKay spent much of her relatively short lifespan carrying coal, most of her runs confined to the Minas Basin and the Bay of Fundy.

It turns out that the Hattie Mc Kay was ship that attracted misfortune. In 1900 the Hattie McKay ran aground on Isle Haute in the Bay of Fundy, was written off as a total loss and her certificate of registry cancelled; her value at the time was set at $2,500. James Card salvaged the ship and by 1901 had her back in service. Before Card sold the ship in 1920 to J. D. Harris, a Wolfville merchant and coal dealer, the Hattie McKay ran aground several times in the Minas Basin and Bay of Fundy.

J. D. Harris appointed Alex Carey of Medford as the new captain of the Hattie McKay and for seven years she hauled coal into Wolfville. When her runs were finished, Card would anchor the schooner at Medford beach and walk home. In 1927 an August gale, what they called a hurricane in those days, caught the schooner at anchor, drove her across the creek and broke her in two. A couple of artefacts from her wreck site can be found in the Kings County Museum. But other than these things, little else remains of a vessel that broke up during a hurricane on the Medford shore in 1927.[2]

Respect

Nova Scotians are becoming more and more aware of the value of preserving and learning from our heritage, in all its forms. Both our past and present way of life are closely tied to the sea, and shipwrecks are part of our heritage.

How we treat this evidence of our history now will determine for all time the knowledge, sites and artifacts available for future generations. These shipwrecks are worth protecting, and worth sharing. Thoughtless collecting will destroy this important resource forever.[3]